Effects of magnesium deficiency on strength, mass, and composition of rat femur

X-ray diffraction, infrared absorption spectroscopy, and chemical investigation have been carried out on deproteinated samples of turkey leg tendon at different degrees of calcification. The inorganic phase consists of poorly crystalline B carbonated apatite. On increasing calcification, the apatite crystal size, as well as its thermal stability, increase while the relative magnesium content is reduced. On the other hand, synchrotron X-ray diffraction data clearly indicate that apatite lattice parameters do not change as the crystals get larger. At the last stage of calcification the crystal size, chemical composition, and thermal conversion of the apatite crystallites approximate those of bone samples, which have been examined for comparison. The results provide a quantitative relationship between relative magnesium content and extent of apatite conversion into B-tricalcium phosphate by heat treatment. Furthermore, they suggest that the smaller crystallites laid down inside the gap region of the collagen fibrils are richer in magnesium than the longer ones that fill the space between collagen fibrils.

Magnesium (Mg) is a conspicuous constituent of hard tissues but its possible role in biomineralization is poorly understood. It is possible that Mg2+ adsorbed onto bioapatites may contribute to the modulation of crystal growth as such inhibitory activity has been reported for synthetic apatites. The present study was undertaken to determine the adsorption isotherms of Mg ions onto synthetic apatites and biominerals in tooth and bone tissues in the presence of other ions of natural occurrence. Synthetic crystals used as adsorbents were hydroxyapatite and, as a better prototype for the biomineral, Mg-containing carbonatoapatite. Human enamel and dentin materials were obtained from extracted, caries-free, permanent teeth. Porcine dentin materials at two developmental stages were obtained from erupted deciduous and unerupted permanent teeth of a 6-month-old slaughtered piglet. Porcine bone was obtained from the cortical portion of the mandible of the same animal. All biomineral samples were pulverized and then treated by plasma ashing (deproteination) at about 60 degrees C. Each of the powdered samples was equilibrated in solutions containing various initial concentrations of Mg2+, Ca2+, and Na+ (or K+) as nitrate salts. Following equilibration, concentrations (and activities) of magnesium and calcium ions in the experimental solution were determined. The pH values of the equilibrium solutions were in the range of 6.2-6.5. Experimental data of the Mg adsorption onto hydroxyapatite were interpreted on the basis of a Langmuir-type model for binary systems assuming competition of Mg2+ and Ca2+ for the same adsorption sites on the crystal surfaces of the apatites.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)